Differentiation of distinct single atoms via multi‑defocus fusion method

High-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) is a vital tool for characterizing single-atom catalysts (SACs). However, reliable elemental identification of different atoms remains challenging because the signal intensity of HAADF depends strongly on defocus and other imaging parameters, potentially ruining the Z-contrast of atoms at different depths. In this work, we investigated the influence of the vertical position of atoms (defocus), support thickness, interatomic height, convergence, and collection angles via multi-slice simulations on a model system of Fe/Pt atoms on amorphous carbon supports. Our calculation shows that at a convergence angle of 28 mrad, a defocus of 8.5 nm can cause Fe and Pt atoms to be indistinguishable. At a larger convergence angle, this critical indistinguishable defocus can be even shorter. To address this limitation, we propose a Multi-Defocus Fusion (MDF) method, retrieving the Z-contrast from serial images from multiple defocus. Experimental validation on a Fe/Pt SAC sample confirms the effectiveness of MDF, yielding clearly separated intensity histograms corresponding to Fe and Pt atoms. This work presents a robust, easy-to-implement strategy for accurate single-atom identification, offering valuable guidance for the accelerated screening and rational design of high-performance SACs.